In Cuzco, the Sacred Valley or Iquitos, there are small, hidden hotels that allow travelers to feel right at home. Want to return happily to the hotel after a day trip? In this post, we´ll tell you where to stay.
What does a hotel need to have in order to leave you with nice memories and recommendable to others? Quality, service and some details that will make you feel right at home: comfortable, at ease and relaxed. These three secret hotels meet all this criteria. Va-ca-tion!
Llipimpac GuestHouse, Cuzco
Hidden, at the end of a spacious courtyard behind a fence, you will walk into a hotel that has everything a farmhouse would have in Cuzco. It is located 3 minutes from the Temple of Koricancha. Once you’re inside this colonial house, you forget about the bustling city. It has small gardens and plants everywhere and small patios and passageways, like labyrinths. It is a one-story stone and plaster building.
The rooms are cozy with white painted beams and exposed wood ceilings. Some rooms offer views of the gardens. They have all the small details that make the difference: a large TV, a DVD player, an alarm clock radio, hairdryer and room service offering sandwiches or soups.
The breakfast room retains its antique feeling with black and white family photos, a clock on the wall, dried flowers and other details that give it a unique identity. American breakfast is served. On the other side, a cozy living room offers space for reading or relaxing. When I went, it was Christmas and they decorated everything just like back at home. “Llipimpac” in Quechua means “for all”. Mission accomplished!
Villa Urubamba, Valle Sagrado
An elegant country house with reddish clay walls and wood-beamed ceilings. Although the building is modern, it has a rustic touch in the midst of the beautiful views at the Sacred Valley. The large garden has a small waterfall in the center and varieties of birds, including hummingbirds, which come to nibble on the flowers under the protection of the surrounding hills.
The restaurant, with homemade flavors, heats up the atmosphere with its wood-burning oven.
There are no more than 16 rooms, keeping it intimate. The suites have king size beds and sky lights, allowing you to wake up to the deep blue mountain skies or sleep under the stars. In the same room, there is an area with a sofa and a coffee table, a large TV and an office space with a desk chair. All decorated with sobriety and good taste. I loved the painted wooden cabinets and the handmade dolls. Details that make a difference: hot water and down feather comforters. Beware, the Wifi is available around the common areas.
Additionally, Villa Urubamba features a round space opened to natural light to practice yoga or meditation and many other activities seeking to develop one’s connection with nature.
From 95 USD matrimonial suite
Nativa Apartments, Iquitos
The suites at Nativa are spacious and cozy mini apartments. They have a refrigerator, kitchen space, a sofa, a table and one or two beds, depending on the amount of people (couples or families). The largest suite has two bedrooms and a living room. And of course, they have air-conditioning (essential in Iquitos). Wifi access and a small cable TV are available.
The small details matter here as well: the large house in which the rooms are arranged as if they were guest rooms, the small sunroom and its plants, the decoration with an Indian touch, the very unusual peacefulness in Iquitos and Monica. She is the owner, and she speaks perfect English. She lives in the back part of the house and does everything to make you feel comfortable, safe and well oriented. For example, in the rooms she puts a small plastic map with the most important places marked to use if you do not know the city well enough. With a service like this, Nativa won first place on TripAdvisor and took 4th place on Booking.
59 USD matrimonial suite
